UK: Need deal for ‘toll-free’ Hormuz

Tokyo: Britain on Monday called for a lasting settlement to ensure freedom of navigation and a toll-free Strait of Hormuz as the US-Iran ceasefire hung in the balance.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper arrived in Japan for the final leg of what has been branded as an “intensified shuttle diplomacy tour” to advance coordination with key allies on shared geopolitical, economic and energy security priorities.

During the six-day tour spanning Europe and West Asia, the British minister held talks with foreign ministers from 11 countries, including Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, the UAE and Ukraine, concluding with a meeting with the Japanese foreign minister for the annual Strategic Dialogue in Tokyo, reports PTI. “This is a critical diplomatic moment with the end of the ceasefire looming. Further talks on a lasting settlement are welcome – they must lead to a toll-free Strait,” said Cooper.

“Proposals have been circulating from Iran to introduce tolls on the strait once the conflict is concluded. Since the call I convened with more than 40 countries at the start of April, we have been working to build an international consensus both on the urgency of reopening the Strait of Hormuz and on the principle that freedom of navigation must be restored in full, without restrictions or tolls,” she said. “If the wrong precedent is set (in the Strait of Hormuz), it would be deeply damaging not just for the global economy, but for global security, and that is why it is an argument we must win,” she added.

Meanwhile, Germany and Brazil said in a ⁠joint declaration the countries shared a deep concern ⁠over ⁠conflicts in West Asia, and the impact on freedom of navigation in Hormuz, strongly encouraging progress towards a substantive negotiated sett­lement on Iran, reports Reuters.